Geologically rapid aqueous mineral alteration at subfreezing temperatures in icy worlds

Zandanel, Amber; Hellmann, Roland; Truche, Laurent; Roddatis, Vladimir; Mermoux, Michel; Choblet, G.; Tobie, G.

doi:10.1038/s41550-022-01613-2

Cited by 19 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…, 141 Moreover, as suggested by the analysis of SOM reported here (see section 5.2.6 in detail), if the icy components of Ryugu were composed of not only pure H 2 O, but also ammonia and other chemical species, the aqueous alteration could have proceeded at lower temperatures below the freezing point of pure water. 142 )…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…e.g., 141) Moreover, as suggested by the analysis of SOM reported here (see section 5.2.6 in detail), if the icy components of Ryugu were composed of not only pure H 2 O, but also ammonia and other chemical species, the aqueous alteration could have proceeded at lower temperatures below the freezing point of pure water. 142) After the radioactive nuclei had sufficiently decayed, the thermal boundary between the outer domain of ice-rich components and the inner domain of water-rich components would migrate inward, causing the icy outer domain to grow inwards and the ice-to-water volume to increase. The water-rich inner domain contains vast quantities of phyllosilicates produced by aqueous alteration of anhydrous materials.…”

Section: Geological Processes Operating On the Ryugumentioning

confidence: 99%

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On the origin and evolution of the asteroid Ryugu: A comprehensive geochemical perspective

Nakamura

Kobayashi

Tanaka

et al. 2022

Proc. Jpn. Acad., Ser. B

114

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Presented here are the observations and interpretations from a comprehensive analysis of 16 representative particles returned from the C-type asteroid Ryugu by the Hayabusa2 mission. On average Ryugu particles consist of 50% phyllosilicate matrix, 41% porosity and 9% minor phases, including organic matter. The abundances of 70 elements from the particles are in close agreement with those of CI chondrites. Bulk Ryugu particles show higher ' 18 O, " 17 O, and C 54 Cr values than CI chondrites. As such, Ryugu sampled the most primitive and least-thermally processed protosolar nebula reservoirs. Such a finding is consistent with multi-scale H-C-N isotopic compositions that are compatible with an origin for Ryugu organic matter within both the protosolar nebula and the interstellar medium. The analytical data obtained here, suggests that complex soluble organic matter formed during aqueous alteration on the Ryugu progenitor planetesimal (several 10's of km), <2.6 Myr after CAI formation. Subsequently, the Ryugu progenitor planetesimal was fragmented and evolved into the current asteroid Ryugu through sublimation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Geological Processes Operating On the Ryugumentioning

confidence: 99%

On the origin and evolution of the asteroid Ryugu: A comprehensive geochemical perspective

Nakamura

Kobayashi

Tanaka

et al. 2022

Proc. Jpn. Acad., Ser. B

114

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“…Previous studies have assumed a rock density of 3,500 kg/m 3 (Bierson & Nimmo, 2022) for the Uranian moons, but this assumption is not consistent with the expected state of the core following differentiation as rock hydration is a relatively fast process (<<1 My, e.g., Martin & Fyfe, 1970;Zandanel et al, 2022). As the prospect of preserving a deep ocean depends in part on the thickness of the overlaying shell, it is important to track the rock density evolution with temperature.…”

Section: Thermophysical Properties Of the Rock Phasementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on recent experimental observations, we assume that during and following differentiation, the rock phase could become fully hydrated. Indeed, recent work by Zandanel et al (2022) showed that aqueous alteration of rock in icy bodies proceeds on geologically fast timescales (a few My to tens My), even at low temperatures (at least as low as 250 K). Besides affecting the ratio of the ice shell to rocky mantle thicknesses (by up to 100 km), aqueously altered rock has thermomechanical properties drastically different from anhydrous rock.…”

Section: Thermophysical Properties Of the Rock Phasementioning

confidence: 99%

Compositions and Interior Structures of the Large Moons of Uranus and Implications for Future Spacecraft Observations

et al. 2023

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The five large moons of Uranus are important targets for future spacecraft missions. To motivate and inform the exploration of these moons, we model their internal evolution, present‐day physical structures, and geochemical and geophysical signatures that may be measured by spacecraft. We predict that if the moons preserved liquid until present, it is likely in the form of residual oceans less than 30 km thick in Ariel, Umbriel, and less than 50 km in Titania, and Oberon. The preservation of liquid strongly depends on material properties and, potentially, on dynamical circumstances that are presently unknown. Miranda is unlikely to host liquid at present unless it experienced tidal heating a few tens of million years ago. We find that since the thin residual layers may be hypersaline, their induced magnetic fields could be detectable by future spacecraft‐based magnetometers. However, if the ocean is maintained primarily by ammonia, and thus well below the water freezing point, then its electrical conductivity may be too small to be detectable by spacecraft. Lastly, our calculated tidal Love number (k2) and dissipation factor (Q) are consistent with the Q/k2 values previously inferred from dynamical evolution models. In particular, we find that the low Q/k2 estimated for Titania supports the hypothesis that Titania currently holds an ocean.

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“…A gel with a saponite composition sluggishly reacted with water to form a small amount of saponite at 25 °C based on the results of experiments (Besselink et al, 2020). If the ice is a mixture of H 2 O and NH 3 , olivine can be altered at subfreezing temperatures as low as −20 °C (Zandanel et al, 2022). A minute amount of saponite can form at or below the freezing point of ice, although further studies are needed to confirm this finding.…”

Section: Coexistence Of Two Lithologies and Common Origin Of Cp And C...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Antarctic micrometeorite composed of CP and CS IDP‐like material: A micro‐breccia originated from a partially ice‐melted comet‐like small body

Noguchi

Matsumoto

Yabuta

et al. 2022

Meteorit & Planetary Scien

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Asteroids and comets are thought to form in the inner and outer solar systems, respectively. Chondritic porous and smooth interplanetary dust particles (CP IDPs and CS IDPs, respectively) in the stratosphere are regarded as dust grains from comets and hydrated asteroids, respectively. Here, we describe an Antarctic micrometeorite (AMM) composed of lithologies of both CP and CS IDPs. In addition to the CS IDP-like compact lithology that experienced severe aqueous alteration, the CP IDP-like porous lithology shows evidence of very weak aqueous alteration. The structure of the organic matter in the porous lithology varies from that in the CP IDPs to aromatic-rich organic matter. In contrast, the structure of the organic matter in the compact lithology is homogenous, which is consistent with higher degrees of aqueous alteration. Its structure is more similar to that of CP IDPs and Wild 2 samples than that of meteoritic insoluble organic matter, suggesting that the compact lithology formed from the porous lithology. Some CP IDPs are related to cometary dust streams, such as those originating from 26P/Grigg-Skjellerup. In addition, the presence of this AMM indicates an additional origin of the CP IDPs and their equivalent AMMs. The mineralogy and organic chemistry of this AMM suggest that its parent body was composed of the same building blocks as those of the comets, and later experienced incomplete aqueous alteration. The AMM probably formed as microbreccia in the regolith layer composed of materials from a CP IDP-like crust and a hydrated interior.

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Geologically rapid aqueous mineral alteration at subfreezing temperatures in icy worlds

Cited by 19 publications

References 40 publications

On the origin and evolution of the asteroid Ryugu: A comprehensive geochemical perspective

On the origin and evolution of the asteroid Ryugu: A comprehensive geochemical perspective

Compositions and Interior Structures of the Large Moons of Uranus and Implications for Future Spacecraft Observations

Antarctic micrometeorite composed of CP and CS IDP‐like material: A micro‐breccia originated from a partially ice‐melted comet‐like small body

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